Methods and apparatus for integration of wireless wide area networks with wireless local area networks

ABSTRACT

Embodiments presented in this disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses (such as Access Points (AP&#39;s), evolved NodeB&#39;s (eNB&#39;s), etc.) for use in aggregation, or integration, between a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). In one embodiment, an eNB decides that an aggregation between the WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer of one or more bearers associated with a specific UE. Next, the eNB identifies which one(s) of the at least one bearer of the specific UE that is/are to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. Also, the eNB schedules each one of the at least one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/524,292 filed May 4, 2017 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORINTEGRATION OF WIRELESS WIDE AREA NETWORKS WITH WIRELESS LOCAL AREANETWORKS” which claims priority to International Application Number:PCT/SE2014/051304, filed Nov. 4, 2014 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUSFOR INTEGRATION OF WIRELESS WIDE AREA NETWORKS WITH WIRELESS LOCAL AREANETWORKS,” the entireties of both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses (such asAccess points (AP's), evolved NodeB's (eNB's), etc.) for use inaggregation, or integration, between a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

BACKGROUND

This section is intended to provide a background to the variousembodiments of the technology that are described in this disclosure. Thedescription in this section may include concepts that could be pursued,but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived orpursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is describedin this section is not prior art to the description or claims of thisdisclosure and is not admitted to be prior art by its mere inclusion inthis section.

As the use of mobile wireless devices (in this disclosure alsointerchangeably referred to as User Equipments (UEs)), such as tabletcomputers and smart phones, become more ubiquitous, the demands on thelimited radio frequency spectrum used by these mobile wireless devicesalso increases. Sometimes this leads to network congestion in thelicensed radio frequency spectrum. In addition, an increased use of highbandwidth applications such as audio and video streaming may increasedemands beyond the capability of the available spectrum. This isespecially true in high density and high use locations such as forexample urban location (e.g., large cities).

Improvements in wireless architectures, hardware design, and processorspeed have increased the efficiency of the mobile wireless devices intheir use of the available spectrum. However, the ability to transmit agreater number of bits per second per hertz of available bandwidth maybe reaching an upper limit with the currently available batterytechnology.

One possible way of providing additional bandwidth capacity to mobilewireless devices is through the use of an unlicensed spectrum. Manytypes of mobile wireless devices are capable of communicating vialicensed spectrum, such as through a cellular radio network, and viaunlicensed spectrum, such as via a Wi-Fi hotspot. Wi-Fi is a commonname, coined by the WiFi Alliance, for an Institute of Electronics andElectrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 set of standards for communicating inunlicensed spectrum including e.g. the 2.4, 3.7 and GHz frequency bands.The set of standards includes the IEEE 802.11a standard, the IEEE802.11b standard, the 802.11g standard, the 802.11n standard, the802.11-2012, and the 802.11ac standard. This list is not intended to belimiting. Additional 802.11 standards are also considered to be withinthe scope of this disclosure. While Wi-Fi is being given as an exampleof a standard used to communicate via an unlicensed portion of the radiofrequency spectrum, additional standards for communicating in a portionof the unlicensed spectrum may also be used, including for instance theIEEE 802.15 family of personal area networks (PAN).

Standards such as WiFi are used to provide WLAN that can be accessed bydual mode devices (i.e. mobile wireless device having dual modecapability) that are also capable of accessing a cellular networkstandards such as those standardized by the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP). Releases of the 3GPP standards include, but are notlimited to, the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the 3GPP LTEAdvanced.

Currently, WLAN is generally integrated as a separate access network tothe 3GPP evolved packet core (EPC). Existing mobile wireless devicebased WiFi offload solutions can enable selective switching of flowsbased on operator or user policies. These solutions typically requirethe operation and maintenance of a separate WLAN radio access network,thereby generally resulting in greater operational and capitalexpenditures.

Recently, discussions within 3GPP has begun to focus on a tighterintegration (also sometimes known as aggregation) of cellular typenetworks with WLANs. A tighter integration, or aggregation, of WWANssuch as cellular type networks configured to use licensed portions ofthe radio spectrum, with WLANs designed to use unlicensed portions ofthe radio spectrum, may substantially improve performance. For example,the integration of 3GPP access network components, such as the eNodeB(eNB) with the WLAN access networks may enable a dual mode capablemobile wireless device to use the licensed and unlicensed portions ofthe spectrum with minimal impact to the 3GPP core network elements. Suchsolution may in turn improve the overall user experience withoutdegrading the quality of service (QoS), mobility, security, and/or powermanagement when capacity is expanded to the unlicensed spectrum. Changesto the WLAN access network may be kept to a minimum as well, withpreferably no changes to the WLAN air interface.

For example, the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0083783 A1is concerned with Multi-RAT Carrier Aggregation for Integrated WWAN andWLAN Operation.

SUMMARY

It is in view of these considerations and others that the variousembodiments of this disclosure have been made. It is therefore a generalobject of the embodiments disclosed herein to provide improved methodand apparatuses (e.g., AP's, eNB's, etc.) for use in aggregation (or,integration) between a WWAN and a WLAN.

Thus, and according to one of its aspects, the technology disclosedherein concerns a method for use in aggregation between a WWAN (e.g.,3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi). This method may be performed by anetwork element of the WWAN, such as an eNB. The method may comprise theactions, or methods steps of: deciding that an aggregation between theWWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer of one ormore bearers associated with a specific UE; identifying which one(s) ofsaid at least one bearer associated with said specific UE that is/are tobe aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; and packet-level schedulingof each one of said at least one bearer identified to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN.

According to another of its aspects, the technology disclosed hereinconcerns a method for use in aggregation between a WWAN and a WLAN. Thismethod may be performed by a network element of the WLAN, such as a WLANAP. The method may comprise the action, or method step of: receiving,from a network element of the WWAN (e.g. the eNB), information relatedto a mapping, wherein said mapping is a mapping of a set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoSattributes in the WLAN.

According to still another of its aspects, the technology disclosedherein concerns a method for use in aggregation between a WWAN and aWLAN. This method may be performed by a network element of the WLAN,such as a WLAN AP. This method may comprise receiving, from a networkelement of the WWAN, information related to a set of WWAN QoS attributesfor each bearer of at least one bearer identified to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN.

According to still further aspects, the technology disclosed hereinrelates to corresponding apparatuses (i.e. network elements of the WWANand the WLAN, respectively) for implementing the methods according tothe above-mentioned aspects.

Still further, the technology disclosed herein relates to computerprogram, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to carry out any one of themethods described hereinabove. A carrier containing said computerprogram may also be provided. The carrier may be one of an electronicsignal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storagemedium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent andelucidated from the following description of various embodiments,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate different levels of integration, or aggregation,of a WWAN (e.g. 3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g. Wi-Fi) at the UE side;

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary way of PDCP level aggregation for astandalone AP and eNB;

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary way of PDCP level aggregation for aco-located (e.g., combined) AP and eNB.

FIG. 3 is a signaling diagram showing message sequences according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a signaling diagram showing message sequences according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a signaling diagram showing message sequences according tostill another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a signaling diagram showing message sequences according to yetanother embodiment;

FIGS. 7A-7B are flowcharts of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WWAN, e.g. an eNB;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WWAN, e.g. an eNB;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WWAN, e.g. an eNB;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WLAN, e.g. a WLAN AP;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WLAN, e.g. a WLAN AP;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WLAN, e.g. a WLAN AP;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method performed by anetwork element of a WLAN, e.g. a WLAN AP;

FIG. 14 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a network element ofa WWAN, such as an eNB, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 15 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a network element ofa WLAN, such as an AP, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technology will now be described more fully hereinafter. Thetechnology may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosurewill be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of thetechnology to those persons skilled in the art. Like reference numbersrefer to like elements or method steps (or actions) throughout thedescription.

Prior to discussing the various embodiments, this disclosure willpresent a background to the various embodiments in an attempt tofacilitate the reading and understanding of the subsequently discussedembodiments.

WWAN/WLAN Interworking

Most current WLAN deployments are separate from WWANs (such as cellularnetworks standardized by the 3GGPP) and can be seen as non-integratedfrom the perspective of the mobile wireless devices (a.k.a. UEs). Mostoperating systems for mobile wireless devices support a WLAN offloadingmechanism where the mobile wireless device may be operable toimmediately switch all of its Internet Protocol (IP) traffic to a WLANnetwork upon a detection of a suitable WLAN network having receivedsignal strength above a certain level. In the following, the decision asto whether or not to offload to a WLAN may be referred to as “accessselection strategy”. Also, the term “WLAN-if-coverage” may be usedherein to refer to the aforementioned access selection strategy ofselecting WLAN whenever such a network is detected.

The inventors have realized that there may exist drawbacks associatedwith the “WLAN-if-coverage” access selection strategy, for example:

-   -   Even if the mobile wireless device may store previous pass codes        for already accessed WLAN APs, hotspot login for previously        non-accessed APs usually requires user intervention, either by        entering the pass code in WLAN Connection Manager (CM) of the        mobile wireless device or by using a web interface.    -   Generally speaking, no consideration of expected user experience        is made except those considered in the implemented proprietary        solution of the mobile wireless devices. This may lead to a        situation where a mobile wireless device is handed over from a        high data rate network connection to a low data rate WLAN        connection. Even if the operating system of the mobile wireless        device, or some high level software of the mobile wireless        device, were sufficiently intelligent to make the offload        decisions only when the signal level on the WLAN is considerably        better than the network link of the WWAN, there may still be        limitations at the backhaul of the WLAN AP that may end up being        a bottleneck.    -   Generally speaking, no consideration of the load conditions in        the WWAN and WLAN are made. As such, the mobile wireless device        might still be offloaded to a WLAN AP that is serving several        mobile wireless devices while the WWAN (e.g. LTE) that it was        previously connected to is rather unloaded.    -   Interruptions of on-going services may occur due to the change        of IP address when the mobile wireless device switches to the        WLAN. For example, a user who started a Voice over IP (VoIP)        call while connected to a WWAN is likely to experience a call        drop when arriving at home and the mobile wireless device        switches to the WLAN automatically. Even if some applications        are intelligent enough to handle this situation and survive the        IP address change (e.g., Spotify®), the majority of current        applications do not. This may place an unnecessary burden on        application developers if they have to ensure service        continuity.    -   Generally speaking, no consideration of the mobility of the        mobile wireless device is made. Due to this fact, a fast moving        mobile wireless device may end up being offloaded to a WLAN AP        for a short duration, just to be handed over back to the WWAN.        This may be a particular challenge in scenarios where e.g. café        s offer open WLAN (e.g., open Wi-Fi), where a user walking by or        even driving by the café might be affected by this. Such ping        pong between the WLAN and WWAN may, in some scenarios, cause        service interruptions as well as generate considerably        unnecessary signaling (e.g., towards authentication servers).        Radio Access Network (RAN) Level Integration (Release 12)

3GPP is working on specifying a mechanism for WLAN/WWAN which improvesoperator control with respect to how a mobile wireless device performsaccess selection and traffic steering between WWANs and WLANs belongingto the operator or its partners. For this mechanism, it is discussedthat the RAN could provide assistance parameters that assist the mobilewireless device in the access selection. The RAN assistance informationmay e.g. be composed of three main components, namely threshold values,offloading preference indicator (OPI) and WLAN identifiers. The mobilewireless device may also be provided with RAN rules and/or policies thatmake use of these assistance parameters.

The threshold values could for example be metrics such as 3GPP signalrelated metrics, such as RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), RSRQ(Reference Signal Received Quality), RSCP (Received Signal Code Power),and/or Ec/No, all of which are conventional and known in the art. On theWLAN side, corresponding WLAN signal related metrics may e.g. includeRCPI (Received Channel Power Indicator) and/or RSSI (Received SignalStrength Indication), WLAN load/utilization, WLAN backhaulload/capacity, etc.

One example of a RAN rule that could use the threshold value may be thatthe mobile wireless device should connect to a WLAN if the RSRP is belowthe signaled RSRP threshold at the same time as the WLAN RCPI is abovethe signaled RCPI threshold. The RAN rules and/or policies are expectedto be specified in a 3GPP specification such as, for example, 3GPP TS36.304 and/or 3GPP TS 36.331.

With the above mechanism it is likely not wanted, or maybe not evenfeasible, that the mobile wireless device considers any WLAN whendeciding where to steer traffic. For example, it may not be feasiblethat the mobile wireless device uses this mechanism to decide to steertraffic to a WLAN not belonging to the operator. Hence it has beenproposed that the RAN should preferably (though not necessarily) alsoindicate to the mobile wireless device which WLANs the mechanism shouldbe applied for by sending WLAN identifiers.

Optionally, the RAN may also provide additional parameters which areused in ANDSF (Access Network Discovery and Selection Function)policies. One proposed parameter is offloading preference indicator(OPI). For example, one possibility for OPI is that it is compared witha threshold in the ANDSF policy in order to trigger different actions.Another possibility is that OPI is used as a pointer to point and, andthereafter select, different parts of the ANDSF policy which would thenbe used by the mobile wireless device.

The RAN assistance parameters (i.e. thresholds, WLAN identifiers, OPI)provided by the RAN may be provided with dedicated signaling and/or viabroadcast signaling. Dedicated parameters may typically only be sent tothe mobile wireless device when the mobile wireless device is having avalid RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection to the 3GPP RAN. A mobilewireless device which has received dedicated parameters may apply thededicated parameters; otherwise the terminal may apply the broadcastparameters. If no RRC connection is established between the mobilewireless device and the RAN, the mobile wireless device cannot generallyreceive dedicated parameters.

In 3GPP, it has been agreed that ANDSF should be enhanced for release-12to use the thresholds and OPI parameters that are communicated by theRAN to the mobile wireless device. Also, if enhanced ANDSF policies areprovided to the mobile wireless device, the mobile wireless device willuse the ANDSF policies instead of the RAN rules/policies (i.e. ANDSF hasprecedence).

Tight Integration Between WWAN and WLAN (Release 13)

Within the scope of 3GPP Release-13, there has been a growing interestin realizing even tighter integration, or aggregation, between WWAN(e.g. 3GPP LTE) and WLAN. Such an aggregation is expected to make itpossible for a an improved aggregation opportunity as compared to MPTCP(Multipath TCP, TCP is an abbreviation for Transmission ControlProtocol), as the aggregation is performed at a lower protocol layer andas such the scheduling and flow control of the data on the WLAN and WWANlinks may be controlled by considering dynamic radio network conditions.

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrates three different protocol options of aggregationat the PDCP (FIG. 1A), RLC (FIG. 1B) and MAC (FIG. 1C) levels. As isknown among persons skilled in the art, PCDP is an abbreviation forPacket Data Convergence Protocol, RLC is an abbreviation for Radio LinkControl, and MAC is an abbreviation for Medium Access Control.

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate the main principles for these three aggregationlevels and additional functionality may be advantageously utilized. Forexample, at the PDCP-level aggregation, an additional protocol layer maybe used between the PDCP layer and the 802.2 LLC layer to conveyinformation about the mobile wireless device and the radio bearer thetraffic is associated with (this additional protocol layer is referredto as “Glue-1” in FIGS. 2A and 2B, to be explained later herein).

It should be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art that FIGS.1A-1C are showing the protocol stacks at a mobile wireless device. Inthe case of a standalone AP and eNB (i.e., the AP and the eNB are nonco-located), the protocol stack for supporting aggregation may beslightly different, as the PDCP protocol messages, or “Glue-1” protocolmessages carrying PDCP protocol messages, may have to be relayed towardsthe standalone eNB. FIG. 2A schematically illustrates this scenario forthe case of PDCP level aggregation. In this case, once the LLC packet isdecoded at the AP (in the uplink direction from the mobile wirelessdevice to the AP), and the AP realizes that this packet is a “Glue-1”protocol message carrying PDCP protocol message, or a PDCP protocolmessage, that has to be routed to an eNB, the forwarding can beperformed for example via normal TCP/IP protocol stack. The downlinkdirection is similar i.e. once the eNB decides that a PDCP protocolmessage is to be aggregated over WLAN, the PDCP protocol message may beeither put into “Glue-1” protocol message and sent to the correct APusing for example normal TCP/IP protocol stack, or the PDCP protocolmessage may be sent without “Glue-1” protocol to the correct AP usingfor example a normal TCP/IP protocol stack. On the contrary, FIG. 2Bshows PDCP level aggregation with a co-located eNB and AP (i.e., the APand the eNB are combined, thus co-located).

QoS in WWAN and in WLAN

Many services and subscribers may share the same radio and networkresources. Real-time services (e.g., voice, video etc.) may be sharingthe same resources as non-real-time services (e.g., Internet browsing,file download, etc). A potential challenge in this area is how to ensureQoS (e.g., bit rates, packet delays, packet loss) for Real TimeServices. 3GPP Evolved Packet System, EPS (i.e. both Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access Network, E-UTRAN and Evolved Packet Core, EPC)generally provides efficient QoS mechanisms to ensure that the userexperience of different services sharing the same resources isacceptable. Examples of such mechanisms provided in 3GPP are:

-   -   1. Traffic Separation: Different traffic types receive different        treatment (queuing, etc.) in network;    -   2. 3GPP provides for both relative QoS and absolute QoS (using        Guaranteed Bit Rates);    -   3. GBR (Guaranteed Bit Rate) based admission control is used to        reserve resources before traffic is admitted into the network or        rejected otherwise;    -   4. Policy (PCC) determines what treatment to apply to the        traffic streams

3GPP defines the concept of a PDN, i.e. a Packet Data Network. A PDN isin most cases an IP network, e.g. Internet or an operator IMS servicenetwork. A PDN has one or more names; each name is defined in a stringcalled APN (Access Point Name). The PGW is a gateway towards one or morePDNs. A mobile wireless device may have one or more PDN connections. APDN connection is a logical IP tunnel between mobile wireless device andPGW, providing the mobile wireless device access to a PDN. The setup ofa PDN connection is initiated from the mobile wireless device.

Every PDN connection consists of one or more bearers, see e.g. the 3GPPTS 23.401 section 4.7.2 for a description of the bearer concept. Abearer uniquely identifies traffic flows that receive a common QoStreatment between a mobile wireless device and a PGW. Each bearer on aparticular access has a unique bearer identity (ID). At the 3GPP access,the bearer is end-to-end between mobile wireless device and PGW. EveryPDN connection has at least one bearer and this bearer is called thedefault bearer. All additional bearers on the PDN connection are calleddedicated bearers.

There are two types of bearers: GBR and non-GBR bearers. Every EPSbearer is associated with the following QoS parameters: QoS ClassIdentifier (QCI) and Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP). Inaddition, GBR bearers are associated with bit rate parameters forGuaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) and Maximum Bit Rate (MBR). Non-GBR bearers donot have bearer-level bit rate parameters. Instead, there is aggregateenforcement of all non-GBR bearers using Aggregate Maximum Bit Rates(AMBR) (APN-AMBR: defined per subscriber and Access Point Name, andUE-AMBR: defined per subscriber).

The underlying protocols for QoS over Wi-Fi were standardized severalyears ago, and enterprise wireless LANs now incorporates the relevantstandards. Wi-Fi Multi-Media (WMM) was first standardized as 802.11e in2005. 802.11e introduces support for radio prioritization of 4 differentaccess categories (e.g., Voice, Video, BE, Background). Support for802.11e is also covered by the WMM certification in WFA. A typical usagefor these Access Categories is based on IP Differentiated Services CodePoint (DSCP) marking of packets.

Wi-Fi uses carrier-sense, multiple-access with collision avoidance(CSMA/CA) as the medium access principle. Prior to transmitting a frame,CSMA/CA generally requires each device to monitor the wireless channelfor other Wi-Fi transmissions. If a transmission is in progress, thedevice sets a back-off timer to a random interval, and tries again whenthe timer expires. Once the channel is clear, the device waits a shortinterval—the arbitration inter-frame space—before starting itstransmission. Since all devices follow the same set of rules, CSMA/CAensures “fair” access to the wireless channel for all Wi-Fi devices.

The WMM adjusts two CSMA/CA parameters, the random back-off timer andthe arbitration inter-frame space, according to the QoS priority of theframe to be transmitted. High-priority frames are assigned shorterrandom back-off timers and arbitration inter-frame spaces, while lowerpriority frames must wait longer. WMM thereby gives high-priority framesa much higher probability of being transmitted sooner.

Challenges

The inventors have realized that the tighter integration, oraggregation, between WWAN and WLAN solutions is typically based on thenormal 3GPP QoS architecture. Traffic for different users is generallymapped towards bearers with different QoS attributes in the EPC. The QoSattributes are made known in the eNB using signaling procedures betweenthe EPC and the eNB. Therefore the eNB is normally aware of the specificQoS related requirements for every such bearer. A new challenge arisesdue to the nature of the tight integration solutions, since parts of thetraffic may be sent over the WLAN. However, the WLAN side generally hasno knowledge about the QoS requirements signaled for the traffic fromEPC to the eNB. This may impact the ensuring of these QoS requirements.

This issue of mapping the QoS in EPC and WLAN has been addressed in theearlier-mentioned US 2013/0083783 A1 to some extent. For example, US2013/0083783 A1 proposes a method for sending a traffic steering commandto the mobile wireless device that also includes a mapping tablespecifying to what WLAN QoS the different bearers of the bearers thathave to be steered to WLAN have to be mapped to. However, in US2013/0083783 A1 only traffic steering is considered. Also, the mappingmainly focuses on UL traffic. The mapping information is sent to themobile wireless device and the mobile wireless device can only influencethe mapping of the UL flows to the proper WLAN QoS parameters. Moreover,US 2013/0083783 A1 addresses only the case of a dual mode eNB that hasboth cellular and WLAN radio units. That is, US 2013/0083783 A1 is notconcerned with scenarios where aggregation is to be performed between astandalone eNB and standalone WLAN AP. This is however recognized by thetechnology that is described in this disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 3 thorough 6, various embodiments of improvedmethods and apparatuses (e.g. WLAN AP's 200 and eNB's 300) forintegration, or aggregation, of a WWAN (e.g. 3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g.,Wi-Fi) will be described in detail. As will be appreciated, the variousembodiments enable the usage of the 3GPP QoS requirements also over theWLAN link. For example, the network element of the WWAN (e.g. eNB 300)signals information to be used for applying QoS in the WLAN link to anetwork element of the WLAN (typically an AP 200) for downlink (DL) datapackets. For instance, the signaled information may be the 3GPP QoSrequirements known by the eNB 300, or a mapping of these 3GPP QoSrequirements to corresponding WLAN specific QoS attributes. The AP 200then uses the received information in the DL direction of the WLAN link.Common for all embodiments that will be discussed with respect to FIGS.3-6 is that every bearer (at the WWAN side) is typically associated witha set of QoS attributes. The set of QoS attributes may include one ormore of the following: QoS Class Identifier (QCI), Allocation andRetention Priority (ARP), Guaranteed Bit Rat (GBR), Maximum Bit Rate(MBR), and Aggregate Maximum Bit Rates (AMBR). As used in thisdisclosure, the set of QoS attributes for a bearer (i.e., for a specificmobile wireless device) may interchangeably be referred to either as“QoS Profile” or as “WWAN QoS attributes”. In addition, a networkelement of the WWAN such as the eNB 300 may allocate a Logical ChannelIdentifier (LCID) for every bearer, e.g. at the MAC layer. This LCID maybe used in communications between the eNB 300 and the mobile wirelessdevice 100, and is also one example for indicating a specific bearer inthe case some traffic is sent over the tightly integrated WLAN radiolink. In this case, one possible solution is to include also the LCID inevery data packet sent over the WLAN radio link. Another possibility forincluding the LCID in the communication between the mobile wirelessdevice and the eNB 300 (e.g., via the WLAN AP 200) is to include it aspart of the “Glue-1” protocol shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b . This means thatfor every packet sent from the eNB 300 to the mobile wireless device 100(e.g., via WLAN AP 200) the eNB 300 may add the LCID in a specific“Glue-1” protocol header. The mobile wireless device 100 may do the samein the uplink direction. Finally, there may be a need to know for whichmobile wireless device 100 a specific communication over WLAN belongsto. For this purpose, a specific “UE identifier” which identifies themobile wireless device 100 may advantageously also be included in the“Glue-1” protocol header by both the eNB 300 and the mobile wirelessdevice 100. This “UE identifier” may e.g. comprise C-RNTI (Cell RadioNetwork Temporary Identifier) and cell-id.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show two different embodiments for the DL direction. Inthe first embodiment described in FIG. 3, a “QoS Profile” is sent fromthe eNB 300 to the WLAN side where it is mapped to WLAN specific QoSconfiguration. The second embodiment described in FIG. 4 is similar tothe first embodiment shown in FIG. 3. However, in the second embodiment,the eNB 300 performs the mapping from “QoS Profile” to the WLAN specificQoS configuration and then sends this mapping to the WLAN side.

Embodiment 1

The first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will now be described in furtherdetail:

Action 1: Initial steps take place between the mobile wireless device100, eNB 300 and the EPC. For EPC, only the Mobility Management Entity(MME) 400 is shown for clarity. However, other EPC nodes may also beinvolved as is appreciated by those skilled in the art. These initialsteps may include attachment of the mobile wireless device 100 to theEPC, PDN connection establishment signaling and any other NAS(Non-Access Stratum) signaling.

Action 2: The MME configures a set of bearers in the eNB. This step maye.g. start with the transmission of (S1AP) INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUESTfrom the MME 400 to the eNB 300. A list of bearers may be included inthe message and a “QoS Profile” may be included for each bearer. The eNB300 may store the received set of bearers and the associated “QoSProfile”. Additional signaling may also take place between the mobilewireless device 100 and the eNB 300 (e.g., configuration of LCID foreach bearer), and finally eNB 300 may reply to the MME 400.

Action 3: It is decided (e.g., by the eNB) that the mobile wirelessdevice 100 should start aggregating traffic over WLAN, and aggregationinitiation may be performed between the eNB 300, mobile wireless device100, and AP 200. This decision may apply for all, or only a subset ofall the bearers, for the mobile wireless device 100.

Action 4: The eNB triggers the configuration of the WLAN QoS for eachbearer that is to be aggregated over WLAN. The eNB 300 may send a“Glue-1” protocol message to the AP 200 indicating both the LCID and“QoS profile” for every bearer that can be aggregated. The “UE identity”may also be included in the message. This may be a specific “Glue-1”protocol message that is terminated at the WLAN side (i.e., it is notnecessarily sent to the mobile wireless device 100).

Action 5: The WLAN side (e.g., the WLAN AP 200) maps the received “QoSProfile” for each LCID (and bearer) to corresponding WLAN QoS attributesand stores the information together with the UE ID. The mapping may bebased on any information included in the received QoS profile. Forexample, any combination of QCI, ARP, GBR, MBR and AMBR may be useddepending on the information that is included in the “QoS Profile”(e.g., different information for GBR-bearers and non-GBR-bearers asdescribed previously).

Action 6: The WLAN side (e.g., the AP 200) may send an acknowledgementto the eNB.

Action 7: The eNB 300 sends a data packet using tight WLANintegration/aggregation to the WLAN side (e.g., the AP 200) using a“Glue-1” protocol message. The message may e.g. comprise the UEidentity, the LCID and the data packet. This action, or method step, mayoccur after (e.g., substantially immediately after) a packet-scheduling.

Action 8: The WLAN side retrieves the corresponding WLAN QoS attributesstored for the LCID and UE identifier.

Action 9: The WLAN side uses the retrieved WLAN QoS configuration in thecommunication towards the UE.

The first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is an example of a “tunneledapproach”. In this approach, there is an initial signaling between theeNB 300 and the AP 200 before any user data is transmitted. The initialsignaling is typically used to establish an association (or a tunnel)between the eNB 300 and the AP 200 for “UE ID” and “LCID” and the “QoSProfile” mapped to WLAN QoS attributes on the WLAN side.

Embodiment 2

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will now be described in furtherdetail:

Action 1: Same as Action 1 in FIG. 3.

Action 2: Same as Action 2 in FIG. 3.

Action 3: Same as Action 3 in FIG. 3.

Action 4: The eNB 300 triggers the configuration of the correspondingWLAN QoS for each bearer that is to be aggregated over WLAN. The eNB 300maps the “QoS Profile” for each LCID (and bearer) to corresponding “WLANQoS” attributes.

Action 5: The eNB 300 sends a “Glue-1” protocol message to the AP 200indicating both the LCID and “WLAN QoS” for every bearer that can beaggregated. The “UE identity” may also be included in the message. Thismay be a specific “Glue-1” protocol message that is terminated in theWLAN side (i.e. not sent to the UE).

Action 6: The WLAN side stores the received “WLAN specific QoS” for eachLCID together with the UE identifier.

Action 7: Same as Action 6 in FIG. 3.

Action 8: Same as Action 7 in FIG. 3.

Action 9: Same as Action 8 in FIG. 3.

Action 10: Same as Action 9 in FIG. 3.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is also an example of the“tunneled approach”. In this approach, there is an initial signalingbetween the eNB 300 and the AP 200 before any user data is transmitted.The initial signaling is typically used to establish an association (ora tunnel) between the eNB 300 and the AP 200 for “UE ID” and “LCID” andthe WLAN QoS attributes to be used on the WLAN side.

Other examples of the “tunneled approach” are also conceivable and thefirst and second embodiment should therefore be seen as examples of thisapproach. For example, the tunnel could also be established so that WLANQoS attributes to be used are initially configured in the AP 200 as partof the tunnel establishment. In addition, a tunnel identifier may beconfigured as part of the establishment and then the tunnel may be usedfor user data transmission via the WLAN AP 200. In such scenario, nospecific UE ID or LCID would need to be included in the “Glue-1”protocol message.

It should be appreciated that “Glue-1” protocol referred to hereinabovemay be a new protocol or it could, for example, be an enhancement of aprotocol used over the X2-WLAN interface between WLAN and 3GPP.

In addition to the first and the second embodiments, it would also bepossible to include the “QoS Profile” or the corresponding “WLANspecific QoS” in the Glue-1 data packets. This would mean that there isno initial configuration signaling between the eNB 300 and the WLANside. This is further illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, which schematicallyillustrate third and fourth embodiments respectively.

Embodiment 3

A third embodiment will now be discussed reference being made to FIG. 5:

Action 1: Same as Action 1 in FIG. 3.

Action 2: Same as Action 2 in FIG. 3.

Action 3: Same as Action 3 in FIG. 3.

Action 4: Same as Action 7 in FIG. 3, but the message additionallycomprises the “QoS profile”.

Action 5: Same as Action 5 in FIG. 3, except that this is done for everydata packet and no mapping is stored.

Action 6: Same as Action 9 of FIG. 3, except that the WLAN QoSconfiguration is the one mapped in Action 5 (of FIG. 5) and not theretrieved one.

Embodiment 4

A fourth embodiment will now be discussed reference being made to FIG.6:

Action 1: Same as Action 1 in FIG. 4.

Action 2: Same as Action 2 in FIG. 4.

Action 3: Same as Action 3 in FIG. 4.

Action 4: Same as Action 4 in FIG. 4.

Action 5: Same as Action 8 of FIG. 4, but the message additionallycomprises the “WLAN QoS profile”

Action 6: Same as Action 10 of FIG. 4, except that here the receivedprofile is directly used and no retrieving is necessary.

Still another embodiment, i.e. a fifth embodiment, may also beconceivable. In a fifth embodiment, there is no specific configurationstep between the eNB 300 and WLAN side. There is neither any “QoSProfile” nor the “WLAN specific QoS” included in the Glue-1 datapackets. Instead, the eNB 300 ensures that the same LCID can be used forall bearers that have the same, generally the same or similar QoSrequirements. In this case, the WLAN side may be preconfigured with LCIDto corresponding “WLAN specific QoS” mappings. When the eNB 300 sends adata packet to the WLAN side it may comprise the UE ID, the LCID and thedata packet. Then the LCID can be used to select the preconfigured “WLANspecific QoS”.

The awareness of the 3GPP QoS requirements on the WLAN side enablesadditional functionality. The WLAN side may use this information for thecommunication over the interface towards the eNB 300, for example toprioritize the traffic from many users. In case of a high load on thisinterface, the AP 200 may prioritize the traffic with high QoS overtraffic with low QoS. Also, the AP 200 could use the interface to theeNB 300 to signal what was the actual WLAN QoS used for a specific datapacket. The eNB 300 could then use this knowledge to decide if tightintegration/aggregation should be continued in that WLAN AP 200.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a method performed by a network element of theWWAN, e.g. the eNB 300, will be described. This method may be used forimplementing the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 3-6, i.e.the method is for use in aggregation (or, integration) between a WWAN(e.g., 3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi). In the following, the networkelement of the WWAN will be exemplified as an eNB and the networkelement of the WLAN will be exemplified as an AP of the WLAN in order tofacilitate the reading of the disclosure.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the eNB 300 may optionally determine 701 a setof WWAN QoS attributes (“QoS profile”) for each bearer of one or morebearers associated with a specific UE. In some embodiments, the eNB 300may determine the WWAN QoS attributes by receiving the WWAN QoSattributes from another WWAN network element (e.g., the MME 400). Forexample, the MME 400 may transmit a message to the eNB 300, wherein saidmessage includes said WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer for the UE.Accordingly, the eNB 300 may receive the message including said WWAN QoSattributes from the MME 400. The eNB may also already have the WWAN QoSattributes stored e.g. in a memory unit/module.

The eNB decides 702 or otherwise establishes that aggregation betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer of oneor more bearers associated with a specific UE. In other words, the eNBdecides 702 that tight aggregation (or, integration) between the WWANand the WLAN is to be used.

The decision to initiate aggregation (or, integration) could for examplebe based on the radio condition and/or load conditions in the WWAN andWLAN, for example, when the signal level between the WWAN and the UEfalls below a certain threshold and/or when the signal level between theWLAN and the UE rises above another threshold. Additionally, oralternatively, the decision to initiate aggregation could be based on UEcapabilities in the WWAN and/or WLAN, the eNB and/or AP capabilities, UEactivity/traffic volume and/or any subscription based informationreceived from the MME, such as the Subscribed Profile Identity (SPID).

Moreover, the eNB 300 may identify 703 one(s) of said at least onebearer of said specific UE that is/are to be aggregated between the WWANand the WLAN. In some embodiments, only a subset of all bearers of saidspecific UE is/are to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. Inother embodiments, all bearers of said specific UE is/are to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

This identification could for example be based on the radio conditionsand/or load conditions in the WWAN and WLAN. Additionally, oralternatively, the identification could be based on the QoS requirementsof the bearers. For example, some bearers may not be selected foraggregation because they have very strict QoS requirements, or selectedfor aggregation only if the radio conditions in the WLAN areexceptionally good, while bearers with more “relaxed” QoS requirementsmay be selected for aggregation even if the radio conditions in WLAN arenot that sufficiently good.

Subsequently, each one of said at least one bearer identified to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN are packet-level scheduled 704.That is, the eNB 300 may schedule 704, at packet level, each one of saidat least one bearer that has/have been identified 703 to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN. In one example, the eNB 300 may performpacket-level scheduling for each downlink packet received from theServing Gateway (SGW) associated with a bearer that has been identified703 to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

In some embodiments, which are illustrated in FIG. 7B, the packet-levelscheduling 704 may optionally comprises determining 704 a, for each datapacket, whether the data packet is to be transmitted over the WWAN orthe WLAN. For example, the determining 704 a, for each data packet,whether the data packet is to be transmitted over the WWAN or the WLANmay be based on information related to load of WWAN radio cells and WLANradio cells. Additionally, or alternatively, the determining 704 a, foreach data packet, whether the data packet is to be transmitted over theWWAN or the WLAN may be based on information related to radiomeasurements of WWAN radio cells and WLAN radio cells for the UE.

Turning now to FIG. 8, additional optional actions, or steps, that maybe performed by the eNB 300 will be described. For example, the eNB 300may map 801 a set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer in the WWANwith corresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN. This may beperformed for each one of said at least one bearer being identified tobe aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. This mapping may beincluded in a message. The message including the mapping may then betransmitted 802 to a network element of the WLAN, typically the AP 200(see e.g. FIG. 4). In an alternative embodiment (see e.g. FIG. 6), theeNB 300 may transmit, to a network element of the WLAN (e.g., the AP200), information related to said mapping simultaneously, orsubstantially simultaneously, as a transmission of a data packet to saidnetwork element of the WLAN. The aforementioned information related tothe mapping may comprise a Logical Channel Identifier (LCID) for eachone of the at least one bearer identified to be aggregated between theWWAN and the WLAN. Additionally, or alternatively, the informationrelated to the mapping may comprise an ID of the specific UE, i.e. a UEID, to which said each one of the least one bearer identified to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs. Still further, theinformation related to the mapping may additionally, or alternatively,comprise WLAN QoS attributes for each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

Turning now to FIG. 9, additional optional actions, or steps, that maybe performed by the eNB 300 will be described. For example, the eNB 300may transmit 901, to a network element of the WLAN (e.g., the AP 200),information related to the earlier-determined 701 set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer of said at least one bearer identified to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN (see e.g. FIG. 3). In analternative embodiment (see e.g. FIG. 5), the eNB 300 may transmit, to anetwork element of the WLAN (e.g., the AP 200), information related tothe determined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of said atleast one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, as a transmissionof a data packet to the network element of the WLAN. The aforementionedinformation related to the determined set of WWAN QoS attributes mayadditionally comprise a LCID for each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN and/or an UEID of the specific UE to which said each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs.

In some embodiments, the eNB 300 may also transmit, to the networkelement of the WLAN (e.g., the AP 200), a data packet along with theLCID and the UE ID of the specific UE.

Turning now to FIG. 10, a method performed by a network element of theWLAN, e.g. the AP 200, will be described. This method may be used forimplementing the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6,i.e. the method is for use in aggregation (or, integration) between aWWAN (e.g., 3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi). In the following, thenetwork element of the WLAN will be exemplified as an AP 200 and thenetwork element of the WWAN will be exemplified as an eNB 300 of theWWAN in order to facilitate the reading of the disclosure.

As can be seen in FIG. 10, the AP 200 receives 1001, from a networkelement of the WWAN (e.g., the eNB 300), information related to amapping, wherein the mapping is a mapping of a set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoSattributes in the WLAN. In some embodiments (see e.g. FIG. 6), the AP200 may receive the information related to said mapping is at the sametime, or substantially at the same time, as a reception of a data packetfrom the network element of the WWAN. The aforementioned informationrelated to said mapping may e.g. comprise a LCID for each one of theleast one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN, an ID of the specific UE to which said each one of the least onebearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLANbelongs, and/or WLAN QoS attributes for each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

With reference to FIG. 11, optional additional actions, or steps,performed by the AP 200 will be described. The AP 200 may store 1101said information related to said mapping in a memory module of the AP200. Also, the AP 200 may retrieve 1102 said information related to saidmapping from the memory module. Still further, the AP 200 may utilize1103 or otherwise make use of the retrieved information related to saidmapping during communications with said specific UE. According to someembodiments, and prior to retrieving 1102 said information related tosaid mapping from the memory module, the AP 200 may also receive (fromthe network element of the WWAN such as eNB 300) a data packet alongwith the LCID and the UE ID of the specific UE.

Turning now to FIG. 12, another method performed by a network element ofthe WLAN, e.g. the AP 200, will be described. This method may also beused for implementing the embodiments described with reference to FIGS.3 and 5, i.e. the method is for use in aggregation (or, integration)between a WWAN (e.g., 3GPP LTE) and a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi). In thefollowing, the network element of the WLAN will be exemplified as an AP200 and the network element of the WWAN will be exemplified as an eNB300 of the WWAN in order to facilitate the reading of the disclosure.

As is illustrated in FIG. 12, the AP 200 receives 1201 (from a networkelement of the WWAN, such as the eNB 300), information related to adetermined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of at least onebearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. Insome embodiments (see e.g. FIG. 5), the AP 200 may receive informationrelated to said determined set of WWAN QoS attributes at the same time,or substantially at the same time, as when receiving a data packet fromthe network element of the WWAN. The information related to thedetermined set of WWAN QoS attributes may additionally comprise a LCIDfor each one of the least one bearer identified to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN, and/or an UE ID of the specific UE to which saideach one of the least one bearer identified to be aggregated between theWWAN and the WLAN belongs.

The AP 200 may additionally, for each one of the at least one bearerbeing identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN, map thedetermined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer with correspondingWLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN.

With reference to FIG. 13, it should be appreciated that the AP 200 mayoptionally store 1301 said information related to said mapping in amemory module of the AP 200, retrieve 1302 said information related tosaid mapping from the memory module, and utilize 1303 the retrievedinformation related to said mapping during communications with saidspecific UE.

According to some embodiments, and prior to retrieving 1302 saidinformation related to said mapping from the memory module, the AP 200may receive (from the network element of the WWAN) a data packet alongwith the LCID and the ID of the specific UE.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the methodsdescribed herein may be implemented in various ways. For example, one ormore computer programs, comprising instructions which, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry outany one of the methods described hereinabove may be provided. A carriercontaining said computer program may also be provided. The carrier maybe one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or acomputer readable storage medium.

Turning now to FIGS. 14 and 15, various embodiments of apparatuses (i.e.network elements of the WWAN and the WLAN, respectively) forimplementing the above-mentioned methods will be described.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of a network element 300 of a WWAN foruse in aggregation between the WWAN and a WLAN. The network element ofthe WWAN may be embodied as an evolved NodeB (eNB). In order to enhanceclarity, the term eNB 300 will be used for denoting the network element300 in the following.

In one implementation, the eNB 300 comprises a processor 310, a memory320 and a communications interface 330. The communications interface 330may comprise at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver(Rx).

The eNB 300 may optionally comprise means 310, 320, 330 adapted todetermine a set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of one or morebearers associated with a specific UE (a.k.a mobile wireless device100). In one implementation, the means 310, 320, 330 adapted todetermine a set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of one or morebearers associated with a specific UE comprises the processor 310, thememory 320 and the communications interface 330. For example, the memory320 may store computer program code, which, when run in the processor310 causes the eNB 300 to receive, via the receiver 330, a set of WWANQoS attributes for each bearer of one or more bearers associated with aspecific UE. For example, the eNB 300 may receive the set of WWAN QoSattributes from a MME 400. Moreover, the memory 320 may store computerprogram code, which, when run in the processor 310 causes the eNB 300 todetermine said set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of one or morebearers associated with a specific UE, e.g. from the received set ofWWAN QoS attributes.

Moreover, the eNB 300 comprises means 310, 320 adapted to decide that anaggregation between the WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for atleast one bearer of said one or more bearers of the UE. In one exampleimplementation, the memory 320 stores computer program code, which, whenrun in the processor 310 causes the eNB 300 to decide that anaggregation between the WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for atleast one bearer of said one or more bearers of the UE.

The eNB 300 also comprises means 310, 320 adapted to identify whichone(s) of said at least one bearer of said specific UE that is/are to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. In one implementation, thememory 320 stores computer program code, which, when run in theprocessor 310 causes the eNB 300 to identify which one(s) of said atleast one bearer of said specific UE that is/are to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN.

Still further, the eNB 300 comprises means 310, 320 adapted topacket-level schedule of each one of said at least one bearer identifiedto be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN. In one exampleimplementation, the memory 320 stores computer program code, which, whenrun in the processor 310 causes the eNB 300 to packet-level schedule ofeach one of said at least one bearer identified to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN.

In some embodiments, the eNB 300 comprises means 310, 320 adapted todetermine, for each data packet, whether the data packet is to betransmitted over the WWAN or the WLAN. In one example implementation,the memory 320 stores computer program code, which, when run in theprocessor 310 causes the eNB 300 to determine, for each data packet,whether the data packet is to be transmitted over the WWAN or the WLAN.In one embodiment, the determination may be based on information relatedto load of WWAN radio cells and WLAN radio cells. Additionally, oralternatively, the determination may be based on information related toradio measurements of WWAN radio cells and WLAN radio cells.

Still further, the eNB 300 may comprise means 310, 320 adapted to map aset of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer in the WWAN withcorresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN. In one exampleimplementation, the memory 320 stores computer program code, which, whenrun in the processor 310 causes the eNB 300 to map a set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoSattributes in the WLAN. In some embodiments, the eNB 300 also comprisesmeans 330 adapted to transmit, to a network element of the WLAN (e.g. AP200), information related to said mapping. For example, said means 330adapted to transmit information related to said mapping may beimplemented by the transmitter (Tx). The aforementioned informationrelated to said mapping may e.g. comprise: a LCID for each one of the atleast one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN; an ID of the specific UE to which said each one of the least onebearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLANbelongs; and/or WLAN QoS attributes for each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

In some embodiments, the eNB 300 may comprise means 330 adapted totransmit, to a network element of the WLAN (e.g. AP 200), informationrelated to the earlier-mentioned determined set of WWAN QoS attributesfor each bearer of said at least one bearer identified to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN. For example, said means 330 adapted totransmit information related to the earlier-mentioned determined set ofWWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of said at least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN may beimplemented by the transmitter (Tx). The above-mentioned informationrelated to the determined set of WWAN QoS attributes may e.g.additionally comprise: a LCID for each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; and/or an IDof the specific UE to which said each one of the least one beareridentified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs.

In some embodiments, the eNB 300 comprises means 330 adapted totransmit, to the network element of the WLAN (e.g. AP 200), a datapacket along with the LCID and the ID of the specific UE. For example,and in accordance with one example implementation, the means 330 adaptedto transmit the data packet along with the LCID and the ID of thespecific UE may be implemented by the transmitter 330.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of a network element 200 of a WLAN foruse in aggregation between a WWAN and the WLAN. The network element ofthe WLAN may be embodied as an Access Point (AP). In order to enhanceclarity, the term AP 200 will be used for denoting the network element200 in the following.

In one implementation, the AP 200 comprises a processor 210, a memory220 and a communications interface 230. The communications interface 230may comprise at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver(Rx).

In one embodiment, the AP 200 comprises means 230 adapted to receive,from a network element of the WWAN (e.g. eNB 300), information relatedto a mapping, wherein said mapping is a mapping of a set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoSattributes in the WLAN. In one implementation the means 230 adapted toreceive said information related to the mapping may be implemented bythe receiver (Rx). Said information related to said mapping may e.g.comprise: a LCID for each one of the least one bearer identified to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; an ID of the specific UE towhich said each one of the least one bearer identified to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN belongs; and/or said WLAN QoS attributesfor each one of the least one bearer identified to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN. The AP 200 may also comprise means adapted tostore said information related to said mapping in a memory module (notshown) of the AP 200; means adapted to retrieve said information relatedto said mapping from the memory module; and means adapted to utilize theretrieved information related to said mapping during communications withsaid specific UE. In one example implementation, the memory 220 may e.g.store computer program code, which, when run in the processor 210 causesthe AP 200 to store said information related to said mapping in a memorymodule (not shown) of the AP 200, retrieve said information related tosaid mapping from the memory module, and utilize the retrievedinformation related to said mapping during communications with saidspecific UE. Moreover, the AP 200 may comprise means adapted to, priorto retrieving said information related to said mapping from the memorymodule, receiving (from the network element of the WWAN) a data packetalong with the LCID and the ID of the specific UE. In oneimplementation, said means may be implemented by the receiver (Rx) 230.

In one embodiment, the AP 200 comprises means 230 adapted to receive,from a network element of the WWAN (e.g. eNB 300), information relatedto a determined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of at leastone bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.For example, and in accordance with one example implementation, themeans adapted to receive the information related to a determined set ofWWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of at least one bearer identified tobe aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN may be implemented by meansof the receiver (Rx) 230. Said information related to the determined setof WWAN QoS attributes may additionally comprise a LCID for each one ofthe least one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN andthe WLAN; and/or an ID of the specific UE to which said each one of theleast one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN belongs.

Moreover, the AP 200 may additionally comprise means 210, 220 adapted tomap the determined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer withcorresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN. For example, in oneexample implementation the memory 220 may e.g. store computer programcode, which, when run in the processor 210 causes the AP 200 to map thedetermined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer with correspondingWLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN. In one embodiment, the AP 200 furthercomprises means adapted to store said information related to saidmapping in a memory module (not shown) of the AP 200; means adapted toretrieve said information related to said mapping from the memorymodule; and means adapted to utilize the retrieved information relatedto said mapping during communications with said specific UE. In oneexample implementation, the memory 220 may e.g. store computer programcode, which, when run in the processor 210 causes the AP 200 to storesaid information related to said mapping in a memory module (not shown)of the AP 200; retrieve said information related to said mapping fromthe memory module; and utilize the retrieved information related to saidmapping during communications with said specific UE.

The AP 200 may further comprise means 230 adapted to, prior toretrieving said information related to said mapping from the memorymodule, receive (from the network element of the WWAN, e.g. eNB 300), adata packet along with the LCID and the ID of the specific UE. Forinstance, the means 230 adapted to, receive the data packet along withthe LCID and the ID of the specific UE may be implemented by means ofthe receiver (Rx) 230.

The various embodiments disclosed herein enable the WLAN side to becomeaware of QoS attributes of the WWAN side, and vice versa. This may allowfor an alternative, yet improved way, of integration (or, aggregation)between WWAN (e.g. 3GPP LTE) and WLAN (e.g. Wi-Fi).

In the detailed description hereinabove, for purposes of explanation andnot limitation, specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of various embodiments described in thisdisclosure. In some instances, detailed descriptions of well-knowndevices, components, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as notto obscure the description of the embodiments disclosed herein withunnecessary detail. All statements herein reciting principles, aspects,and embodiments disclosed herein, as well as specific examples thereof,are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated thatblock diagrams herein can represent conceptual views of illustrativecircuitry or other functional units embodying the principles of theembodiments. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts andthe like represent various processes which may be substantiallyrepresented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer orprocessor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitlyshown. The functions of the various elements including functionalblocks, may be provided through the use of hardware such as circuithardware and/or hardware capable of executing software in the form ofcoded instructions stored on computer readable medium. Thus, suchfunctions and illustrated functional blocks are to be understood asbeing either hardware-implemented and/or computer-implemented, and thusmachine-implemented. In terms of hardware implementation, the functionalblocks may include or encompass, without limitation, digital signalprocessor (DSP) hardware, reduced instruction set processor, hardware(e.g., digital or analog) circuitry including but not limited toapplication specific integrated circuit(s) [ASIC], and/or fieldprogrammable gate array(s) (FPGA(s)), and (where appropriate) statemachines capable of performing such functions. In terms of computerimplementation, a computer is generally understood to comprise one ormore processors or one or more controllers. When provided by a computeror processor or controller, the functions may be provided by a singlededicated computer or processor or controller, by a single sharedcomputer or processor or controller, or by a plurality of individualcomputers or processors or controllers, some of which may be shared ordistributed. Moreover, use of the term “processor” or “controller” shallalso be construed to refer to other hardware capable of performing suchfunctions and/or executing software, such as the example hardwarerecited above.

Modifications and other variants of the described embodiments will cometo mind to one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing description and associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limitedto the specific example embodiments disclosed and that modifications andother variants are intended to be included within the scope of thisdisclosure. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for use in aggregation between aWireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), and a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN), the method being performed by a network element of the WWAN, themethod comprising: deciding that an aggregation between the WWAN and theWLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer of at least one bearerassociated with a specific user equipment (UE); determining a set ofWWAN Quality of Service (QoS) attributes for the at least one bearerassociated with the specific UE; transmitting, to a network element ofthe WLAN, information related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes for theat least one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; andreceiving an acknowledgement from the WLAN that the transmittedinformation related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes for the at leastone bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN has beenreceived.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising packet-levelscheduling of the at least one bearer to be aggregated between the WWANand the WLAN.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the packet-levelscheduling comprises determining, for each data packet, whether the datapacket is to be transmitted over the WWAN or the WLAN.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the determining, for each data packet, whether the datapacket is to be transmitted over the WWAN or the WLAN is based oninformation related to a load of WWAN radio cells and WLAN radio cells.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each one of the atleast one bearer being to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN:mapping the set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer in the WWAN withcorresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN; and wherein transmitting,to a network element of the WLAN, information related to the set of WWANQoS attributes comprises transmitting information related to themapping.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the informationrelated to the mapping comprises at least one of: a Logical ChannelIdentifier (LCID) for each one of the at least one bearer identified tobe aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN, an identity (ID) of thespecific UE to which the each one of the least one bearer to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs; and the WLAN QoSattributes for each one of the least one bearer to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the informationrelated to the determined set of WWAN QoS attributes additionallycomprises at least one of: a LCID for each one of the least one bearerto be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; and an ID of thespecific UE to which the each one of the least one bearer to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs.
 8. The method of claim1, further comprising: transmitting, to the network element of the WLAN,a data packet along with a LCID and an ID of the specific UE.
 9. Amethod for use in aggregation between a Wireless Wide Area Network(WWAN) and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the method beingperformed by a network element of the WLAN, the method comprising:receiving, from a network element of the WWAN, information related to adetermined set of WWAN Quality of Service (QoS) attributes for at leastone bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; transmittingan acknowledgement to the WWAN that the transmitted information relatedto the set of WWAN QoS attributes for the at least one bearer to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN has been received; and usingthe information related to the determined set of WWAN QoS attributes todetermine a WLAN QoS attribute.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein theinformation related to the determined set of WWAN QoS attributesadditionally comprises at least one of: a Logical Channel Identifier(LCID) for each one of the at least one bearer to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN; and an ID of a specific user equipment (UE) towhich the each one of the least one bearer to be aggregated between theWWAN and the WLAN belongs.
 11. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising, for each one of the at least one bearer to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN: wherein using the information related tothe determined set of WWAN QoS attributes to determine a WLAN QoSattribute comprises mapping the WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer withcorresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN.
 12. A network element ofa Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) for use in aggregation between theWWAN and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the network element ofthe WWAN comprising a processor, a memory and a communications interfaceconfigured to: decide that an aggregation between the WWAN and the WLANis to be performed for at least one bearer of at least one bearerassociated with a specific user equipment (UE); determine a set of WWANQuality of Service (QoS) attributes for the at least one bearerassociated with the specific UE; transmit, to a network element of theWLAN, information related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes for the atleast one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN; andreceive an acknowledgement from the WLAN that the transmittedinformation related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes for the at leastone bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN has beenreceived.
 13. The network element of claim 12, wherein the processor,memory and communications interface are further configured topacket-level schedule of each one of the at least one bearer to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.
 14. The network element ofclaim 12, wherein the processor, memory and communications interface arefurther configured to, for each one of the at least one bearer being tobe aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN: map the set of WWAN QoSattributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoSattributes in the WLAN, and wherein transmitting, to a network elementof the WLAN, information related to the set of WWAN QoS attributescomprises transmitting information related to the mapping.
 15. Thenetwork element of claim 14, wherein the information related to themapping comprises at least one of: a Logical Channel Identifier (LCID)for each one of the at least one bearer to be aggregated between theWWAN and the WLAN, an identity (ID) of the specific UE to which the eachone of the least one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN belongs; and the WLAN QoS attributes for each one of the least onebearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.
 16. The networkelement of claim 12, wherein the information related to the determinedset of WWAN QoS attributes additionally comprises at least one of: aLCID for each one of the least one bearer to be aggregated between theWWAN and the WLAN; and an ID of the specific UE to which the each one ofthe least one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLANbelongs.
 17. The network element of claim 12, wherein the processor,memory and communications interface are further configured to: transmit,to the network element of the WLAN, a data packet along with a LCID andan ID of the specific UE.
 18. A network element of a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN) for use in aggregation between a Wireless Wide AreaNetwork (WWAN) and the WLAN, the network element of the WLAN comprisinga processor, a memory and a communications interface configured to:receive, from a network element of the WWAN, information related to adetermined set of WWAN Quality of Service (QoS) attributes for eachbearer of at least one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and theWLAN; transmit an acknowledgement to the WWAN that the transmittedinformation related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes for the at leastone bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN has beenreceived; and use the information related to the WWAN QoS attributes todetermine a WLAN QoS attribute.
 19. The network element of claim 18,wherein the processor, memory and communications interface are furtherconfigured to, for each one of the at least one bearer to be aggregatedbetween the WWAN and the WLAN: wherein using the information related tothe determined set of WWAN QoS attributes to determine a WLAN QoSattribute comprises mapping the WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer withcorresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN.
 20. The network elementof claim 19, wherein receiving, from a network element of the WWAN,information related to the set of WWAN QoS attributes comprisesreceiving information related to the mapping and the information relatedto the mapping comprises at least one of: a LCID for each one of theleast one bearer to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN, an IDof the specific UE to which the each one of the least one bearer to beaggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN belongs; and the WLAN QoSattributes for each one of the least one bearer to be aggregated betweenthe WWAN and the WLAN.